Some Things
by andy has an idea
Summary: There are some things a man just has to do. When Shikamaru leaves to fight Hidan and Kakuza, how will Yoshino react and how will Shikaku deal with it. One-shot on a whim.


A/N: I was thinking about how Yoshino would react to Shikamaru leaving to go after the Akatsuki. Then I thought about how Shikaku would have had to deal with it. Then I decided to right this story.

Disclaimer: There is nothing that can be owned by me. Not Naruto or anything else. This story is entirely for your enjoyment.

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Some Things

Deeply written in side the psyche of every man is the ancient will to over come surmounting odds in the face of adversity. It often lays dormant, especially in the most stubborn of men, until a traumatic event draws it forth from the unconscious. It often manifests itself in the statement: There are some things a man just has to do. This is the story of one such incident.

He had been sitting there on the couch all morning and he was not sure why. There were countless other things that he should probably be doing but for reason unbeknownst to him, he had yet to move. Occupying his time with a book, he felt complacent sitting there with the ever looming presence of the unknown lurking around the corner. The time would come when he would have to make a move and he was confident in his experience that when the time came, he would know it.

The silence would have been deafening to most people but he relished the moment as they were few and far between in this household. His wife rarely let him have piece for too long knowing that he would milk it for all it was worth. However, today she was a bit preoccupied to interrupt him. When she went to check on their son who had been mourning the death of his sensei, he was not there. A frantic search of the house had turned up nothing and in an eerie turn of events, his wife went into a stubborn silence. Knowing it wouldn't last too long, he wisely kept his distance.

The emotion would build in her like a snowball tumbling down the mountain. It was only a matter of time before the shit hit the proverbial fan and despite all of this, he stuck around. Risking bodily harm and psychological torture, he kept her at a close distance and while he couldn't see her, she was in the kitchen which was only one room away. He began to hear noises which signified the end was drawing near. As the noises escalated, he looked up from the book to the kitchen door which was the only thing separating her from his line of sight.

The metallic clank of pots and pans held a few violent undertones and whispered words indiscernible to the ear made for a horrific pretext. Maybe he should check on her. The sound of a pot of water hitting the floor, the water spilling onto the floor and a string of curses flowing from his wife's lips brought him to his feet and he slowly approached the door. Cautiously sliding it open, he was finally able to set eyes on his wife. The sound of the door must have gotten her attention because she hurled a paring knife at him which stuck into the doorframe a few centimeters from his head. Seeing that her aim was off, he surmised that she was in an emotionally unstable state.

"What the hell is _your_ son thinking?!" she yelled at him. "Is he trying to get himself killed?" He didn't have an answer because he was looking at the paring knife still waging in the doorframe from the momentum it still had left from being thrown so hard. "He's going after that…that guy, you know? And for what? Revenge? I thought you Nara men were smart but why are you always doing dumb shit without taking into consideration those around you." She was frustrated and in an attempt to calm herself down, she began to look around. It only made it worse. "Look at this mess." She shook her head. "I'm going to kill him."

Taking his cue, he set the book down on the counter and made his way over to his wife pulling her into an embrace. She resisted. Her anger and emotional turmoil strengthened by her will made a valiant effort to push him away but he wouldn't give up. Finally with little fanfare, she collapsed into his arms and the tears she had been viciously holding back flowed forth like a river. She buried her face into his neck and pulled so hard at his deer skin vest that if it had seems it probably would have ripped. "Why?" she cried with a pitiful sob. "Why?"

He pushed his wife away from him, just enough to look her in the eyes. "There comes a time in a man's life when he comes across something he just has to do." And though he didn't say it out loud, he tried to tell her with his eyes that everything is going to be all right. Her eyes wandered his face as if searching for the truth in that statement. One of her hands let go of his vest and moved up to his face. Her fingers began tracing the scars that marred his visage.

He remembered vividly, the day he came home with these scars and the turmoil it put her through. Fearing she had lost him, she felt devastated and desperate so he promised he would never put her through anything like that again. But now, they were faced with the same situation again. Only this time, it was their son who was putting her through it and she was reliving those past experiences all over again.

"Shikamaru is smart," he assured her. "He wouldn't run off and do something stupid like get himself killed." Reaching up to touch her face, he looked deep into her eyes which held the greatest concern. A look he had seen elsewhere before. "And he really does consider those around him, a quality he got from you." As if to emphasis the point, he slid his hand down to her chin and brought her lips up to meet his. Relenting, she gave in wholly wrapping her arms around him to pull him closer.

Leaving a trail of kisses from her lips down her cheek until he reached her ear, he knew he didn't have to say it but he did anyway. "Everything is going to be all right." As her grip on him tightened, he knew he had done the right thing. Planting kiss on her neck, he felt her relax in his arms and he knew that the worst was over until she stopped him. He pulled back and looked at her. She held a soft smile and at that moment, he remember exactly why he had married this woman. She pulled out of his embrace and grabbed his hand leading him out of the kitchen.

As they exited the kitchen, he gave a smirk to the paring knife still lodged in the doorway. Her pace wasn't quick but her strides were confident. She let go of his hand and reached for the bedroom door. As she slid the door open, he took the time to check out his wife and an idea popped into his head. When she made to enter the room, he reached out and smacked her on the ass. She turned around and gave him a dirty, yet playful look and he just smirked. If somehow Shikamaru didn't come back, they could always make another one. A task he was always will to put effort into.

There are some things a man just has to do.

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A/N: Parents are just nympho's who forgot to use protection.


End file.
